Macy's Announces 100 More Closings; Will Ocean County Mall Store Be One?

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Ocean County Mall's Macy's store escaped the last round of store closures by the retailer, but will it be as fortunate this time?

Macy's announced Thursday that it will be closing another 100 stores by early 2017, a move that follows on the heels of the closing of 40 locations earlier this year. But is it not yet known which stores will be affected in the newest round of closings.

There are 29 Macy's locations in New Jersey, according to the company's website. The company has 728 stores, including 675 "full-line" locations.

Macy's will focus its resources on its highest-performing stores while pouring more into "online shopping and mobile apps," according to the press release. In stores that stay open, Macy's plans to add new vendors and increased staffing. The company is planning on "infusing new technology, accentuating high-potential businesses such as fine jewelry, and creating new in-store events and experiences," the release said.

"Customers nearly everywhere in America will have easy access to Macy’s stores, with the additional convenience and increased functionality of our dynamic digital offering,” Macy's President Jeff Gennette said in the press release.

There are three Macy's locations in Ocean and Monmouth counties — at the Ocean County Mall; at Monmouth Mall in Eatontown, and at the Freehold Raceway Mall in Freehold, all of which are sites the company owns rather than leases, according to the Macy's website.

Additionally there are Macy's locations at the Middlesex Mall in South Plainfield; the Brunswick Square Mall in East Brunswick, and the Menlo Park Mall in Edison to the north as well as the Hamilton Mall in Mays Landing to the south.

The 170,000-square-foot store at the Ocean County Mall opened in 1977, according to Macy's records.

Employees who work at stores that are closing will be offered positions at nearby stores "where possible," Macy's says, and eligible part- and full-time employees will receive severance benefits.

Macy's was founded in 1858 when it opened four small department stores in Massachusetts. The company is now an iconic brand in retail nationwide and sponsors the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade through Midtown Manhattan.

By Marc Torrence, with additional reporting by Karen Wall